1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for encoding syllables, indispensable for voice recognition or voice synthesis.
2. Related Background Art
Conventional encoding of syllables in the Japanese language does not usually consider the phonetic properties of such syllables, but depends on a Japanese syllable table as shown in FIG. 4, which includes contracted sounds, based on an alphabetical representation of the Japanese language.
However, such a conventional method requires a complex process for extracting a sound code for a consonant in a syllable comprising a semivowel-vowel combination, because such a semivowel-vowel combination includes consonants belonging to the category of most significant or upper bytes.
Also in the conventional method, a consonant, which may become phonetically different depending on the vowel associated therewith, is always treated the same. As a result, identification of this sound requires a survey of not only the most significant or upper bytes but also the less significant or lower bytes.
In addition, in a convention syllable table as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the codes are simply sequentially assigned to the sounds of semivowel-vowel combinations, not in accordance with any rule linking the codes and vowels, in the category of lower bytes. Consequently, the extraction of a vowel only from a syllable requires a complex process because all the syllables have to be surveyed one at a time.